Neon Jane

by Maia Evrigenis

FILLING THE GAP between the experience of the sick and those living healthy lives in remission, Neon Jane follows twenty-four-year-old Maia's journey to move forward from her childhood cancer experience as she is haunted by a spunky, ghostlike, thirteen-year-old cancer patient named Jane. The two have an inseparable bond and complicated friendship as Maia takes on the role of Jane's caretaker. Representing Maia as a child, Jane pressures Maia to be a better, more successful person in the name of childhood cancer. Maia argues back through personal reflections about cancer's ongoing presence in her healthy adult life, and her struggle to move forward from the experience. As Maia looks for a genetic explanation for her previous cancer, she uncovers the story of her uncle Jason, a famous baroque musician who drowned in his twenties. Through her uncle's story and new complications with Jane's health, Maia contemplates what it means to live a full life, and whether it is time to let go of the cancer experience that has defined her for so long.

108 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2022

About the author

Maia Evrigenis is a writer from Sacramento, CA. Her flash fiction piece titled "Sanitize" from Neon Jane was selected for the Best Small Fictions 2021 Anthology published by Sonder Press, and she was a Stories on Stage winner for the 2020 writing contest in Northern California. Maia collaborates with Stanford Hospital's Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program (SAYAC), where Neon Jane is being used as a tool to help survivors and their families. She received her MFA in creative writing from CalArts and BS in applied psychology from NYU. Maia is currently working on her second book, The Secrets of Elwood County.

Reviews

[Rob Haswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fairly easy grader on books. Few, if any, ever get below 3 stars from me and sometimes I'll give a 5 star to a friend because I think all writers should be encouraged and supported. However, I just finished Neon Jane, the debut autofictional work by Sacramento native Maia Evrigenis and I can honestly say I've never given a more enthusiastic 5-star rating on this platform.

Ms. Evrigenis's book may be the most startlingly honest book I've read in decades. It's a 90-page odyssey that explores her journey as an adolescent cancer survivor into young adulthood. With a clear-eyed, often humorous, and always nakedly honest eye on what that journey means, not only to her, but to her family, friends, and indeed, her own understanding of her extended family and the price of greatness, Maia fills this work with incredible humanity. Her willingness to unflinchingly dive into the nuts and bolts of cancer treatment (and all that that literally means), and to do so with humor, grace and dignity, is what elevates the book from good to great. It crackles with life as Maia dialogues with Jane, a younger manifestation of herself, as they navigate a world few understand, including themselves.

Her book rightly lives on the same shelf as Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird (and she has the cat to prove it!), creating one of the sassiest and most memorable Sacramento female protagonists in the literary canon. Bravo Maia! And bravo to Neon Jane!

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was gifted to me by my friend, so I had no idea what to expect starting it. I assumed it would be about sickness and healing, and I figured it would delve deep into cancer talk and medical jargon. But it barely even mentioned those things and I liked it much more because of it. The writing was simple and decisive. I liked how the author left meaningful messages without using complicated metaphors or flowery language. The relationships with her family and friends were written very well, they felt real and authentic. I liked how she didn’t hold back on the fights and awkward parts of relationships. Mostly I liked this book because while the message is about healing, it’s not forceful or overly positive. Neon Jane and very real and does not sugarcoat things. The best line was at the end, when neon Jane says “no one can protect you”. It wasn’t said out of anger or cruelty, it’s just true. I liked this book a lot, the length was nice and it was fun to read a book set in my hometown, it felt special to recognize the locations and street names. Neon Jane was a good read, a nice reflection on a childhood spent swimming.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maia tells of her woes and incidents of her life fighting leukemia in a courageous, lighthearted manner so we can truly understand and not put the book down out of fear or revulsion ! Neon Jane is Maia's alter-ego. This short story directs us to the many incidents of a leukemia victim's life: medication, effect on family, long term care, how to fit in and live a normal life which seems to be difficult for her!👏🏻👍🏻

[Bianca Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed Neon Jane! So glad this story exists. Evrigenis tells us simply and beautifully what being sick is really like. It’s ordinary, it’s profound, it’s complex, it’s simple. Sickness and trauma exist with us throughout life, but our experiences and emotions ebb and flow as we grow. This story is a courageous, frank example of how we can all confront our own backgrounds and learn to thrive because of them.

[D. Yamashiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neon Jane is mesmerizing! Maia Evrigenis' elegant reflection vividly invited me into her experience of cancer from four lenses: Jane's, Maia's, Uncle Jason's, and my own. Multilayered perspectives brilliantly weave relentless bravery confronting invaded youth, tension-filled adulthood seeking liberated wholeness, power in reconstructed narratives, and process toward personal integration, respectively. Evrigenis delivers a masterpiece of genuine hope!

[Amelia Evrigenis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed and I cried throughout this book, which I devoured in one day. This novel takes a refreshingly real approach to childhood cancer, cutting through the BS of commercially popular narratives on this topic. I am so glad Evrigenis wrote this— families with childhood cancer to have something real to read. I can’t wait to see what the author does next.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The immersive, heartfelt story of a young woman's life after cancer is graciously embodied in Neon Jane, as Maia revisits old relationships and reflects on her future since her illness. I easily spent all day consumed in this read, as this book can easily grapple you in and pry tears out of the eyes from the most stoic people.

[Erin Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A short book that packs a big bunch. A leukemia survivor tells her story in the most interesting way. I was captivated by the two characters and their relationship the entire time. Chapter 8. Wow. Also just love the style of her writing. Kinda reminded me of Joan Didion. 10/10 recommend!

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Neon Jane all in one night - I just couldn't put it down! This book will guide you from laughter to tears and back again as it holds a new lens up to survivorship. It's a must-read.

[Dina Khoury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written and powerful book that shares the real experience of a young woman who, I say, Kicked Cancer On The Ass (KCOTA - my word for cancer survivors cause I don’t like that word).

Maia weaves her past and present into a gripping journey of self discovery and healing. She does so in a way that keeps the reader engaged and draws us in to her personal struggle to find strength for her future by processing the struggles of her past.

Very touching reflections on the impact on her family and friends and inspirational to see the strength she received from her mother both during and after her illness.

Look forward to her next book.